Magnetic transition anisotropies in orthorhombic LuMnO(3) and HoMnO(3) multiferroic thin films

Abstract

We have successfully prepared the b-axis-oriented orthorhombic LuMnO(3) (LuMO) and HoMnO(3) (HMO) thin films by pulsed laser deposition on (110)-LaAlO(3) substrates. The nearly perfect alignment between the film growth orientation and the substrate allows us to study the magnetic transitions along the respective crystal orientation, which has displayed marked anisotropic behaviours. In particular, with the largest ionic size difference between Lu and Ho for the family of RMnO(3) displaying the E-type AFM, the effects of lattice distortion on the magnetic transition are compared.